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+# --------------------------------------------
+# Step 1: Build Stage - Install dependencies
+# --------------------------------------------
+FROM python:3.11-slim AS builder
+
+# Set environment variables for better production use
+ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
+    PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
+    PIP_NO_CACHE_DIR=off \
+    PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK=on \
+    PIP_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT=100
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Install system dependencies
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    gcc \
+    libpq-dev \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Install Python dependencies in a virtual environment
+RUN python -m venv /opt/venv
+
+# Copy requirements file and install dependencies
+COPY requirements.txt .
+RUN /opt/venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip && \
+    /opt/venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt
+
+# --------------------------------------------
+# Step 2: Final Stage - Copy code and run FastAPI
+# --------------------------------------------
+FROM python:3.11-slim AS final
+
+# Set environment variables
+ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
+    PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
+    PATH="/opt/venv/bin:$PATH"
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy the virtual environment from the build stage
+COPY --from=builder /opt/venv /opt/venv
+
+# Copy the application code
+COPY . .
+
+# Expose port 8000
+EXPOSE 8000
+
+# Run the application with Uvicorn, referencing api.py as the entry point
+CMD ["uvicorn", "api:app", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000", "--workers", "4"]